Doritos are the little chips that could.
This retro tortilla chip made its debut in Disneyland in 1964, and rose to superstar status in 2012 when Taco Bell introduced its now infamous Doritos Locos Taco. It wasn't just popular, it was a juggernaut -- Taco Bell sold over one billion fluorescent orange tacos in the first year alone.
But that didn't quell people's desire. Turns out, that triangle of ground corn has a lot more creative potential, and a bigger market than ever.
In 2014, Pizza Hut Australia offered a Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza, with dough covered in crushed Doritos. Customers could get a bite of buttery dough and crunchy chips in one fell swoop. Why? Because after the Taco Bell triumph, Doritos knew the most important thing was the element of surprise. The consumer never knew where the chip would pop up next.
If you missed that treat, see Doritos Loaded at select Burger King locations. If these gooey, Doritos powder-encrusted triangles of melted cheese sound familiar, it's because they were available at 7-Eleven last year. Doritos is persistent — if at first they don't succeed, they'll push themselves on you until you acknowledge them.
When Doritos Roulette (one in every six chips in each bag is insanely spicy) was released in Canada, it spawned a score of YouTube videos and Instagram posts both praising and hating the intermittent spicy chip. Again, Doritos was at the top of its game — people were talking about it online.
The company drew unexpected press when an asthmatic teenager feared for her life after eating a Roulette spicy chip.
Their most recent U.S. offering, Doritos Jacked Bacon Cheddar Ranch chips, combines everything that makes Doritos so pertinent to toady's market of young people. The chip is available for only two months and its campaign is entirely mobile. By scanning a chip, you can access 3D video content (and a sneak peek of Sharknado 3) on your smartphone, using a pair of 3D glasses Frito-Lay offers for free.
Throw in a few social media celebrity brand ambassadors for good measure.
Therein lies the real genius of Doritos. Our fascination isn't just about the addictive seasoning that coats our fingers or the nostalgic crunch. Doritos is the chip of the moment because the company chases change and technology. It's brand reinvention followed by hashtag campaigns. That's how you sell a chip.